Richmond, VA

City of Richmond Voter Registration and Elections

Last Updated: 2020-05-21

COVID-19 UPDATE - May 15, 2020

The City of Richmond is scheduled to be closed through May 29, 2020 due to COVID-19. However, the Office of
the General Registrar will be open from 9 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday, except holidays for in person
absentee voting for the June primary starting May 8, 2020. Until the City re-opens, voters should come to the
Broad Street side of City Hall to vote in person. Persons who cannot climb steps may enter through the 9th Street
side, but must ask to be escorted to the voting area. Curbside voting for persons 65 and older or disabled will be
available from the 9th Street side of 900 East Broad Street. Voters should pull up to the curb and ring the call bell
that will be there. See the
"Upcoming Elections"
page for more details about the June primary.

The Office of the General Registrar will be closed to the public for other business so long as the City of Richmond
is closed. Voters who have a valid Virginia DMV ID may register to vote or apply for an absentee ballot online and
paperlessly at
www.elections.virginia.gov.
Those that do not have a valid Virginia DMV ID can print the forms out
from that website and mail them to P.O. Box 61037, Richmond, Virginia 23261. Persons who do not have printers
may e-mail us at
VoterRegistration@richmondgov.com
and we will mail you a form upon request. If you do not
have email, please call Richmond 311 at (804) 646-7000 and they will send us a message that you need
assistance.

Virginia will require an excuse to vote absentee through June, 2020. However, the state has granted liberal use of
reason code 2A (illness or disability) due to COVID-19 for persons wishing to vote absentee through the mail for
the June primary.

Mission Statement

The mission of the General Registrar's Office is to provide opportunities, in an equitable and courteous manner, for all
qualified citizens of the City of Richmond to register to vote; to promote the integrity of the electoral process by
maintaining accurate and current voter registration records used in elections; to coordinate elections so they are
conducted in a manner that secures the qualified citizen's right to vote and ensures that the results accurately reflect
the voter's will; and to be an information resource for citizens regarding voter registration, elections, and elected
officials.

About Us

Elections in the City of Richmond are governed by the three member Electoral Board who are appointed by the City of
Richmond Circuit Court for three year terms. Two of the Board members must be of the same political party as the
sitting Governor. The third must be of the opposite party. The Board members' terms are staggered so that one
expires each year. The current Electoral Board members are: James M. Nachman, Chairman, Joyce K. Smith, Vice-
Chairman and C. Starlet Stevens, Secretary.

While all matters election fall within the purview of the local electoral board, voter registration is the sole province of
the General Registrar. In the City of Richmond, the General Registrar also provides administrative staff support to the
Electoral Board. The General Registrar is appointed by the Electoral Board for a four year term. The current General
Registrar is J. Kirk Showalter.

Office Hours

We are open from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday, except holidays. We are also open the last Saturday
before primary and special elections from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. We are open two Saturdays before the November
general election from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

Electoral Board Meetings

The next meeting of the City of Richmond Electoral Board will be held on Sunday, March 1, 2020 at 3:30 PM.
The meeting will be held at 2910 West Moore Street, Richmond, Virginia.
Agendas will be available prior to the meeting upon request.

All meetings of the Electoral Board are open to the public. To view the Board's public comment speakers' guidelines,
click here.